Yemen regulates zakat collection

The war in Yemen and the actions of extremist groups such as al-Qaeda in southern Yemeni provinces have negatively impacted zakat revenue in 2015 compared to the previous year, the Ministry of Local Administration said.

A ministry report released in early June showed that zakat revenue in 2015 declined by 30% compared to 2014 due to the economic repercussions of the war and scarcity of oil derivatives.

Zakat revenue also declined in provinces controlled by al-Qaeda, which pockets the funds, the report said.

Zakat revenues collected last year amounted to over 10.5 billion Yemeni riyals ($42 million), a decline of more than 4.5 billion riyals ($18 million) over the previous year, it said.

"The main reason behind this decline is the war and its impact on economic and commercial activity," said Yasser Thabet, Director General of Zakat at the Ministry of Local Administration.

Some provinces, such as Hadramaut and Abyan, did not provide the ministry with any reports on zakat revenue in 2015, he added.

Al-Qaeda has been collecting the zakat revenue for its own coffers in these two provinces, he said.

Al-Qaeda seized al-Mukalla in Hadramaut and most of the province in April 2015. It also controls the city of Mahfad in Abyan province since last year.

Thabet pointed to other difficulties that contributed to the decline in zakat revenue, including the scarcity of resources resulting from the war and lack of governmental funds necessary for field visits to monitor zakat collection.

Unified accounting system to track zakat

The ministry is taking a number of measures to address this shortfall, Thabet said.

It has imposed a unified accounting system to calculate the amount of zakat due from companies and establishments instead of relying on the personal efforts of accountants and collectors, he said.

It also is tracking the 25% of zakat revenues that the law allows authorised collectors to disburse at their discretion to the poor and needy, he added.

This system makes it possible to track the actions of authorised zakat-collection parties "to ensure the funds are not used or disbursed in a way that undermines the stability of the country and its citizens", he said.

The ministry seeks to block extremist groups from accessing these funds, he said, "as was the case in Hadramaut province last year when al-Qaeda used the funds to finance its attacks and destabilise the country".

It also is important that preachers and the media raise awareness about the need to pay zakat to the state, "as it is the legitimate authority to collect it and redistribute it to the needy", he said.

Zakat collection plan

The ministry approved an action plan for the collection of zakat in Yemen's provinces through a joint effort with religious scholars, endowments offices and the media.

The plan calls for muftis to issue fatwas urging people to pay zakat to the state. Telecommunication companies also contributed to the plan by sending SMS messages to this effect.

"Zakat is one of the [five] pillars of Islam, wherein Muslims are obligated to pay zakat on wealth that reaches a minimum amount known as nisab or [assets] continuously owned over one lunar year," said Yemen Scholars Society member Sheikh Yahya al-Najjar.

The state is authorised by sharia to collect zakat, he told Al-Shorfa, and it will distribute the funds to benefit those in need through legitimate channels.

Al-Najjar called on scholars, preachers and the media to play their role in raising awareness about this issue, to avoid having zakat fall in the hands of extremist groups.

Ibrahim al-Khatib, Director General of the Endowments and Guidance Office in Sanaa, told Al-Shorfa his office has directed mosque preachers and religious counsellors to urge people to pay zakat to the state.

The office uses Friday sermons, lectures on jurisprudence, seminars, flyers and magazines to disseminate its message, he said.